How To Register My Homeschooler For Psat

Should My Homeschooler Have the PSAT?

Should My Homeschooler Accept the PSAT?

The PSAT is CollegeBoard.com's preliminary SAT exam. Sat is a "higher archway exam" that supposedly helps colleges compare applicants in a standardized manner (This is from Princeton Review's site, College Board doesn't actually ascertain Sat on its website.) It is such a mutual exam that taking it in fall of 11th grade is nigh a rite of passage. However, it is Not a mandatory examination.

Should my homeschooler take the PSAT?

Good question. Here are my thoughts every bit long-time academic advisor to homeschool high schoolers (and homeschooling mom of five graduates).

Who SHOULDN'T accept the PSAT:

Clearly non-higher-jump teen.

This is a kid who will never or could never get to college. God has many dissimilar callings for many unlike teens. Not all of them should go to college, but instead should apply their giftings in other trades or other careers. The PSAT is a useless trauma for this teen.

Completely unprepared teen.

Don't send your teen off to take the PSAT if you've never given him/her any exposure to the exam. Visit the College Board'south site and get gratuitous prep textile (just don't get crazy about it.)

Scare the pants off your homeschool high schooler.

Even if your teen has been taking achievement tests, those are nil like the power tests in the Sabbatum category. An experience with PSAT is often an "Oh my gosh" moment for teens. It's a practical motivator for teens when you tell them: "I'd like you to do some SAT prep materials" or "Let'southward work harder on vocabulary".

How or why should your teen take the PSAT:

Detect your teen's strengths and weaknesses that will be measured on the SAT.

Not that these have much to do with existent life, merely Sat is requirement for entrance at many colleges and/or the open door for many higher tuition-discounts/scholarships. AND even for teens who are going to customs college and don't need the Sat for entrance, skillful scores assist them place out of required remedial level courses.

Give them a stretching experience.

It is practiced to try new things. If they oasis't had many opportunities to walk into a room total of strangers and focus on a stressful exam, this is a proficient place to practice. (This kind of feeling often freaks college freshmen out- even regular-schooled kids, so it is good to have a few practice sessions in high school.)

Notice that I didn't list this one:

Get absolutely free tuition higher scholarships!

That'southward considering of the ane.5 million 11th graders who accept the PSAT each twelvemonth, merely 15,000 earn that famous National Merit Scholarship. Information technology's like winning the lottery. Fifty-fifty if you have a teen with a great score, those 15,000 scholarships are portioned to each country. If you lot live in an PSAT-crowded state, your teen with a most-perfect score might not brand the last cut. (I've seen that happen.) You don't want to brand your homeschool loftier schooler believe his/her future is staked on an 11th class test. God has plans and will open and close doors, they don't need to win a National Merit to succeed in life.

Want a piddling skillful news?

Our friend, Meryl, from FundaFundaAcademy.org reminds united states of america that some colleges will requite partial scholarships for skillful PSAT scores. (Her oldest won $yard from Biola for existence a finalist even though she didn't win annihilation from the National Merit people themselves.)

Meryl too reminds us that, if your teen reaches *Commended* or *Finalist* condition: "even being commended is something you can include when completing higher and scholarship applications. There is usually a category for Academic achievements and your teen can put National Merit Commended Scholar or Finalist there." (This category is often left empty considering they can't be top of class, if they are the only one in their class. )

You tin bank check out Funda Funda Academy free PSAT resources here.

What to do?

Do some gentle preparation if your teen is going to take the test so that he/she is familiar with information technology.
Generally, practice LOTS of reading.

Deep-thinking reading and archetype literature is a good infrastructure for building PSAT-fortitude and vocabulary (but don't waste skilful high school years only reading those wonderful categories- at that place'southward more to life grooming than the PSATs and the SATs). Download 7Sisters C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy Literature Guides, World Literature Guides, or British Literature Guides for a solid mix of stretch and inspiration.

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Should My Homeschooler Take the PSAT?